Posts Tagged ‘online blackjack’

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Blackjack odds: Will dealer bust with a 5 or 6 up card?

Monday, August 30th, 2010

Anyone schooled on blackjack basic strategy breathes a sigh of relief when they see the dealer draw a five or six as an up card. They know those are the worst dealer hands and they feel they have a good chance of winning. Players who don’t understand the blackjack odds, though, might assume that the dealer will bust and they will win. The truth is, that will happen less than half of the time.

The correct strategy against a dealer five or six up card is to stand if you have a 12 or higher, but that doesn’t guarantee success. Players look at the dealer up card and assume that they have a 15 or 16, given the fact that there are more ten cards in a deck than any other. However, there are only 4/13 odds of the dealer having a ten in the hole.

If the dealer has a 5 as an up card, there is a 4/13 chance that he has a hand of 15 because four cards (ten, jack, queen, king) give him that total. The dealer has a 7/13 chance of having any kind of stiff hand, which is a hand of 12-16. All stiff hands have good chances of busting, but your odds might not be as good as you think.

If the dealer has a five as an up card, he has a 41.8% chance of busting. He has a 12.2% chance of finishing with a hand total of 17, an identical chance of drawing an 18, an 11.8% chance of drawing a hand of 19, an 11.2% chance of finishing with a hand of 20 and a 10.8% chance of finishing with a hand of 21.

If the dealer has a six as an up card, he has a 42.3% chance of busting. He has a 16.6% chance of drawing a 17, a 10.6% chance of drawing an 18 or 19, a 10.2% chance of drawing a 20 and a 9.7% chance of drawing a 21.

What that means is if you have a hand of 12 and stand against a dealer 5 up card, you only have a 41.8% chance of winning the hand, because if the dealer finishes with any of those other totals, you lose. However, standing in that situation is still the best strategy because the risk of you busting if you take a hit.

Understanding the odds leads to making better decisions and getting more enjoyment out of the game of blackjack. Too many players get upset when they lose against a dealer five or six because they take a win for granted in that situation. Though your odds are good, they aren’t as good as most people think.

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Perfect Pairs Blackjack tournament at InterCasino

Thursday, August 26th, 2010

InterCasino has a Perfect Pairs Blackjack Tournament going on right now and it’s a good opportunity to take a shot at prizes without risking much of your own money. The blackjack tournament only has a $250 prize pool, but the stakes are low – the entry fee is only $10.

If you only play the traditional blackjack game and are unfamiliar with the different blackjack variants, perfect pairs is a common variation with a side bet where the player earns extra money if their first two cards happen to be a pair. The payouts depend on the type of pair. A “perfect pair” is two identical cards, such as two aces of spades. Another type of pair is a “colored pair,” which is two cards that match in rank and color. An example would be a three of spades and a three of clubs, since both suits are black. The third type of pair is a “mixed pair,” which is a pair that matches in rank but is an opposite color.

InterCasino’s Perfect Pairs Blackjack Tournament is running now and ends Sunday, August 29. Until it ends, you can enter at any time. You just have to pony up the $10 buy-in. When you enter the tournament, the online casino gives you $500 worth of tournament chips with which to play. Your tournament lasts 30 minutes and you want to make as much tournament money as you can.

At the end, only the top six players in the blackjack tournament will win prizes. The tournament winner will earn a $100 prize. The second-place finisher will win a $50 prize. The players who finish in third through sixth place will win prizes worth $25 each.

To take part in the Perfect Pairs Blackjack Tournament, visit InterCasino before it ends on August 29.

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$1 blackjack tables helping Atlantic City casinos

Tuesday, August 24th, 2010

I have written before about how raising the minimum bet limits for blackjack tables can cause a drop in revenue for the casinos rather than an increase. Casino games, like any other product, good or service, is governed by the rules of supply and demand. Or at least they should be. The casinos charge a price to play the game that the players consider the games to be worth. If the casino charges too little money, they risk not making enough to justify carrying the game (or so they say). If they charge too much, players may opt to not play.

The casino industry is hurting thanks to the recession and they are looking for ways to increase revenue. Some casinos, such as those in Colorado, have made $10 tables the cheapest, but they risk losing some blackjack novices who don’t want to wager that price.  Some Atlantic City casinos are now taking the opposite route in an attempt to lure more players. The casino will make less money on each hand, but hopefully have more players.

The Trump Marina Hotel Casino, owned by that guy who fires people on TV, has introduced $1 blackjack tables in an attempt to boost business. As a result, they are seeing the best business they have had in years. Back in the 1990’s, $2 tables were common in Atlantic City, but those were gradually phased out in favor of $5 and even $10 tables as the cheapest.

With the resurgence in popularity for blackjack tables at the Trump Marina, here’s hoping that the $1 blackjack table trend will catch on. It’s the perfect way for gamblers with smaller incomes or novice gamblers to have fun at the casino without worrying too much about their cash.

Of course, at online casinos there are even more opportunities for low-minimum blackjack tables. It is common to find $1 and $2 blackjack tables online if you look hard enough. In addition, some online casinos hold blackjack tournaments, where you can buy in for a low price or maybe for no entry fee at all, if it’s a free blackjack tournament.

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Blackjack odds: Drawing a natural blackjack

Tuesday, August 10th, 2010

A natural blackjack is the best hand in the game. Players search for those ace-ten combinations. They love the prospect of a 3:2 payout and a guaranteed win (unless the dealer also has a natural blackjack). It’s the reason card counters keep track of the number of tens that have been played. It’s the reason we get excited by getting dealt an ace and worried when the dealer shows an ace. But how likely are you to draw a natural blackjack?

The likelihood of drawing a natural blackjack depends on the number of decks in play. Assuming an infinite number of decks, you or the dealer have a 4.73% chance of drawing a natural blackjack, which is once every 21 hands. If you’re worried about your blackjack being spoiled by the dealer also drawing a blackjack, which would lead to a push, that only happens 0.22% of the time, or once out of 450 hands.

If you or the dealer already have an ace, there is a 30.77% chance – or four out of 13 – of turning it into a natural blackjack. If you or the dealer already have a ten, there is a 7.69% chance – one out of 13 – of turning it into a blackjack.

The chances of these events happening whether at an online casino or land-based differs depending on the number of decks. In an eight-deck game, which is the most common at casino blackjack tables, there is a slightly higher chance of drawing a natural blackjack: 4.745%. In a six-deck blackjack game, you have a 4.749% chance of drawing a natural blackjack. There is a 4.756% chance of getting a blackjack in a four-deck game and in a single-deck game, the odds are raised to 4.83%. As you might have noticed, the odds increase as the number of decks decrease.

It is good to keep in mind the odds of drawing a blackjack, particularly when either you or the dealer have an ace or a ten card. Knowing your odds is key to successfully executing blackjack basic strategy.

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Blackjack: Early surrender v. late surrender

Friday, August 6th, 2010

Though the move should be done sparingly, in certain situations surrendering is a wise decision in the game of blackjack. Forfeiting half of your bet automatically is usually not the best option, but in certain circumstances, basic blackjack strategy says to cut your losses. It is important to keep separate the two types of surrender, though: early surrender and late surrender.

First of all, whether you’re playing at an online casino or at a brick and mortar casino, you need to know that not all blackjack tables offer surrender as an option. It is usually available because the house counts on players using the surrender option when they shouldn’t, which amounts to throwing money away. Sometimes you cannot surrender, though. When you can, the blackjack table is only going to offer one of the two types of surrender. Therefore, it’s important to know which type is allowed.

Some people think that with a late surrender, you can surrender late in the hand, like right before you get to that card that would bust you or right before the dealer draws his last card. That’s not the case. It’s really quite simple. If the blackjack table has an early surrender, you choose whether or not to surrender before the dealer checks his hole card. With a late surrender, you decide after he checks. Let’s put it into a scenario.

The dealer gives you your cards and then deals himself a hole card and a ten card. If early surrender is allowed, you would then be asked if you want to surrender. If you do, it doesn’t matter what he has as a hole card. Even if it turns out he has a natural blackjack, you still only lose half of your bet. If the blackjack table has a late surrender, though, the dealer will check his hole card to see if he has a blackjack first. If he does, you lose. If he does not have a natural blackjack, he will then ask if you want to surrender.

For that reason, an early surrender is more beneficial to players. An early surrender allows players to save themselves from a natural blackjack whereas with a late surrender, the dealer checks for one first. For that reason, proper usage (according to basic strategy) of a late surrender only trims 0.08% off of the house edge. However, proper usage of early surrender reduces the house edge by 0.6%.

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Blackjack bonus at Lucky Red Casino

Thursday, July 29th, 2010

On the weekends, I normally don’t spend much time on the computer. Therefore, I usually don’t visit any online casinos at that time. I am busy off doing something fun with my wife, whether it’s going to the beach, hiking, visiting a park or whatever. A lot of people feel the same way and for that reason, online casino attendance drops during the weekend. One way of combating that is by offering good casino bonuses during the weekend. Lucky Red Casino has a good blackjack bonus this weekend and it might be enough to convince me to play there.

Sure, I’ll still spend quality time with my wife, but it won’t hurt to spend an hour online. If you’re a fan of online blackjack and want to play some games this weekend, Lucky Red Casino has a bonus that will reward you for doing so. The online casino is offering a 75% match bonus on your deposits. The bonus has a maximum limit of $750. However, you can collect up to 5 coupons for this bonus, meaning you can actually collect $3,750 in bonuses.

To redeem the 75% blackjack bonus, you need to enter the correct coupon code. The codes for the five bonuses you can collect, in order, are BIGWIN1, BIGWIN2, BIGWIN3, BIGWIN4 and (you guessed it) BIGWIN5. The bonus money must be wagered at least 50 times before being withdrawn.

If you are all blackjacked out and want to try a different game, like slots or keno, there is another offer. Lucky Red Casino is giving away a 150% match bonus on deposits, with a $1,000 limit. The bonus for those games is higher than for blackjack because, as I’m sure you know, those games have a drastically higher house edge. Unlike the skilled game of blackjack, keno and slots are games of luck where the casino is going to take a big chunk of your money.

To take advantage of the weekend blackjack bonus, visit Lucky Red Casino.

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BC online casino loses player’s money

Tuesday, July 27th, 2010

By now, most of us have heard of the problem British Columbia had with their online casino. On July 15, the Canadian province launched a casino on their Lottery Corporation’s PlayNow.com website and it was only up for a few hours before the British Columbia shut it down.

The problem was a glitch in the software that triggered a security breach, one that caused some players to be logged onto the accounts of other players, giving them access to sensitive information. The British Columbia Lottery Corporation originally said that the online casino was down because of too much traffic to the website, but later admitted to the security issue.

Once the problem was learned and it was revealed that some players wagered with someone else’s money and won or lost with that money, the BCLC assured everyone that the money would be attributed to the correct person. But who is that? If Person A wagers $10 of Person B’s money and then wins $100, surely $10 of that still belongs to Person B, but what about the other $90? I’m not sure.

Now another problem has come up. At least one player has reported that the online casino lost his money. Mike Reid, a retired banker, says that he won a few hundred dollars at blackjack on the PlayNow.com site and then transferred $100 of the winnings to his bank account. After the website was shut down due to the security breach, Reid checked his bank account and found that the $100 wasn’t there. When he contacted the Lottery Corporation, they said that the money was basically in limbo and that all transactions would go through once the online casino re-launches, whenever that may be.

But how could they have taken the money from his personal bank account? And why would they do that? After making an issue out of it, Reid eventually received a $100 check from the Lottery Corporation, but that is of little reassurance to other players. Does the BCLC think it’s okay to take money out of your personal bank account?

The more time passes since the launch of North America’s first online casino, the more unpleasant the questions get. This is a reason that, while I support legalizing online gambling in jurisdictions where it is banned, I am not in favor of governments running the online casinos. I certainly can’t recommend that blackjack players go to PlayNow.com once it reopens. I’d rather point people toward InterCasino or Pure Vegas, which are much safer options.

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Free welcome bonus at Silver Dollar Casino

Monday, July 19th, 2010

People say you can’t get something for nothing, but sometimes you can. Such is the case right now at Silver Dollar Casino. If you join, you get a free $5. Sure, that’s not a lot of money, but considering you didn’t have to do anything to get it, that’s pretty good.

Okay, you could argue that you didn’t get it for nothing; you got it for joining the online casino. That’s true, but it’s a no-deposit bonus, so you don’t have to spend any of your own money to get it. Once you play that $5 away, though, you’re going to want some more. The good news is that there is another bonus you can get once you do make a deposit.

On your first deposit, the online casino will match you 100% up to $550. That’s some good spending money that, if you stick to blackjack basic strategy, can last you a while. The good deals don’t stop there, though. There are a number of good promotions going on at Silver Dollar Casino. For example, players start out as Level One players, where you get 5% cash back on all of your deposits, for a bonus of up to $100 per month. Players can eventually work their way up to Platinum status, where you get a 10% rebate on your net losses, 25% match bonus on Mondays, 50% deposit bonus on Wednesdays and 100% match bonus on Fridays. All other days, Platinum members get a 30% match bonus on deposits.

Silver Dollar Casino has a good variety of blackjack games and more. If you’re in the mood for slots or poker, the casino has you covered there as well.

More information can be found on the promotions page of Silver Dollar Casino.

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Blackjack strategy: playing the dealer

Thursday, July 8th, 2010

Today I read a blackjack “tip” from a supposed gambling expert. That expert said that you should “aim to get closer to 21, not to beat the dealer.” I was shocked, since this is exactly the opposite of what I advise.

In the game of blackjack, the goal is not to get as close as you can to 21, though that is sometimes what people say. The goal is to beat the dealer. Whether you beat the dealer with a hand of 20 or a hand of 4, you get the same reward. Sure, most of the time you want to get close to 21 because the dealer is going to hit until he gets to 17 or better. However, people who follow a strategy of trying to get close to 21 often play too aggressively and hit when they should stand.

Playing to get closer to 21 ignores the chance of the dealer busting. If the dealer busts, you win with any hand, as long as you don’t bust as well. For example, if you have a hand of 12, that’s not very close to 21. Therefore, people following a “get as close to 21 as possible” strategy would take a hit regardless of the dealer’s hand. However, if the dealer has a hand of 4, 5 or 6, blackjack basic strategy says to stand.

You would stand on those hands because the dealer is likely to have a stiff hand, which is a hand between 12 and 16. With those hands, the person is likely to bust if taking a hit. Since you also have a stiff hand, taking a hit is risky. In this case, it’s best to stand and hope that the dealer busts. How likely is he to bust? Let’s break them down.

If the dealer has a hand of 14, there are five cards (3, 4, 5, 6, 7) he can draw that would beat your hand. The dealer can draw two cards (ace, 2) that would leave him with another stiff hand. There are six cards (8, 9, 10, J, Q, K) that would bust his hand. Therefore, if the dealer has a 14, there is a 8/13 chance that the card he draws will be bad for him and good for you.

Now let’s look at if the dealer has a hand of 16. Here your odds are even worse. There are only five cards (ace, 2, 3, 4, 5) that will help his hand and the other eight cards (6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K) will bust him. Combine that with the fact that, with a 12, you have a stiff hand, you can see that the odds are best to stand and hope the dealer busts.

For that reason, you should ignore any advise that says you should get as close to 21 as possible. While that is part of the strategy, it is secondary to beating the dealer. Often, getting as close to 21 as you can gives you the best chance of beating the dealer, but that is not always the case.

As always, this strategy works in online casinos as well as in the brick and mortar variety.

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Blackjack Strategy: Never Split a Pair of Tens

Thursday, July 1st, 2010

Blackjack basic strategy is important if you want to lower the house edge for the game to an acceptable level. If you’re reading this blackjack blog, you probably already know that. Sometimes people deviate from basic strategy, though. This is done because they forget the real strategy and because they use flawed logic to come up with what they think is the answer. On occasion, they also do so because they think that basic strategy is wrong.

One common mistake that makes me cringe is when people split a pair of tens. You should never split a pair of tens, but people do. When they do, it is based on what would otherwise be good strategy. Tens are good cards to start a hand with. In fact, next to an ace, it’s the best card to draw with your first card. The thinking then is if you have a pair of tens, you can split it and you will have two hands starting with a ten, which is twice as good.

People who succumb to that type of thinking forget to do one simple thing: add their cards. A pair of tens equals a hand of 20, which can only be beaten by a hand of 21. Needless to say, a hand of 20 is a great hand to have and you don’t want to give it up. But what are the odds if you do?

Starting a hand with a 10, you have a 1/13 chance of improving your hand, since only an ace would give you a 21. You have a 4/13 chance of ending up with another hand of 20 (by drawing a 10, J, Q or K), which is what you had before splitting the pair. That leaves a 9/13 chance that you will end up with a hand worse than 20.

That is for one hand. By splitting a pair of tens, you’re starting two hands with a ten, which means both hands have a 69% chance of ending up worse than where you started. With that in mind, it is clearly a better idea to stand, take your hand of 20 and hope to beat the dealer. After all, only a dealer 21 can beat you and a dealer 20 will only tie you. You win against any other dealer hand.

As always, basic blackjack strategy works in online casinos as well as the brick and mortar variety.

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